LAS VEGAS — Oregon fell behind early and wasn’t able to claw its way back as the UO women’s basketball team lost 79-30 on Wednesday to Colorado in a first-round Pac-12 Tournament game played at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The Ducks (11-21) were outscored 26-7 in the opening quarter and trailed 38-11 at halftime. They failed to reach the tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.
“We just picked a tough night to really have a tough night,” UO coach Kelly Graves said. “We weren’t good really in any phase of the game; certainly shooting the basketball was a struggle. But it’s been a struggle all year. We’ve had a hard time scoring.
“We’ve just had one of those years; not a lot’s worked, not a lot’s gone well. But my team, one thing I complimented them on in the locker room, they stuck together.”
Grace VanSlooten had nine points with five rebounds and three steals to lead the Ducks, and Chance Gray added eight points. Phillipina Kyei had six points with six rebounds, and Kennedy Basham had six rebounds along with three of the Ducks’ eight blocked shots.
“We’ve got some work to do, and we hope to get back to the program I’m confident we can be,” Graves said in his postgame press conference while seated next to Gray and VanSlooten. “… We’ve got some good young pieces; you’re looking at two of them right here. We’ve just got to get some more to go with it. But I’m not discouraged.”
How It Happened: Colorado got out to an early 4-2 lead and then put together a 9-0 run to lead by double digits. The UO women answered with five straight, but the Buffaloes scored the last 13 points of the first quarter, shooting 11-of-15 in the period while Oregon was 2-of-13.
The Ducks held Colorado scoreless for the first 6:15 of the second quarter, but couldn’t generate enough offense to take advantage, scoring just once themselves. Once the Buffaloes got going they scored 12 in a row, before Gray scored the final bucket of the half for a 38-11 deficit.
The third quarter was more back-and-forth, with Gray scoring four points as the Ducks went into the fourth down 53-19. The Buffaloes made four three-pointers in the opening minutes of the fourth, and Bella Hamel made Oregon’s first three-pointer of the game for the Ducks’ final points with 1:50 left on the clock.
Up next: The Ducks will await word of possible participation in the WNIT.
